Draft-evener.



F. M. SMILEY.

DRAFT EVENER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2. 1911.

PatentedAflpr. 30,1918.

l l l l r l l FRANKLIN 1VL SMILEY, OIE GOSHEN, INDIANA.

, DRAFT-EVENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30 1218.

Application filed April 2, 1917. Serial No. 159,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN M. SMILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goshen, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Draft-Eveners, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to draft evcners, and will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure l is a plan illustrating an evener constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken in the plane i11- dicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking rearwardly.

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 83 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The main bar 1 of the evener is shown as provided adjacent to its outer end with a swingletree 2, and the comparatively short member 3, formed by parallel bars, is arranged with its inner portion disposed in lapped relation to and in front of the inner portion of said barl.

shown as equipped with a double-tree at, and. it is pivotaily connected with the bar 1 through the medium of a bolt 5, which bears in a plate 5, fixed to the forward side of the bar 1. The said bolt 5 also serves for the connection of the inner ends of plates 6, Figs. 1 and 2, the outer ends of which are connected by rivets 7 to the bars of the member 3 so that the plates will move as a unit with the member 3. In the plates 6 are slots 8, and disposed and movable in the said slots is a bolt 9 through which a clevis 10 is connected with the plates. At its rear end the clevis 10 is pivotally connected to and adapted to swing vertically on a link 11, which, in turn, is pivotally connected. to and adapted to swing horizontally on a clevis head 12 at the forward end of a plow beam, indicated by 13.

A. stay 14: is pivotally connected at 15 to the end of a strap 15 which is fixed to the front side of the bar 1, the said pivotal connection being at the inner end of the bar 1. The said stay 14 is arranged with its rear end disposed at the inner side of an The said member 3 angle plate 16z'. 6., between the inner arm of said plate and the clevis 10; the outer arm of the angle plate 16 bearing against the forward edge of the clevis head 12. It will also be noted that the stay 14 is adapted to hear at its rear end against the forward edge of the clevis head 12.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that when one team pulls at the outer end of bar 1 and another team at the outer end of the member 3, the fulcrum will. be the pivot point or connection 15, and the base for the fulcrum will be the pointat which the stay 14: bears against the clevis head 12, while the load point or point of weight will be the bolt 9. From this it follows that the draft will be efficiently equalized between the draft animals.

By the use of my evener with its system of lovers, the clevis may be adjusted at the center of the plow and permit the team to travel with one horse in the furrow and the others on the unplowed ground, all of them walking straight ahead with plenty of room for their comfort. By this means, not only is the team made more comfortable, but by adjusting the clevis at the center of the plow it is drawn as it is intended to be drawn, and in consequence the draft is very materially reduced, and it does its work much better. and, moreover. the evener can be so adjusted as to permit of the use of either three or four horses without changing the adjustments of the plow.

As shown in Fig. 1 the long bar 1 and the short member 3 are provided with apertures at intervals so that by adjustment of the trees the evener can be used to advantage witn three, four or five horses. I would also have it understood that by simply turning the evener upside down the evener may be converted from a right hand evener to a left-hand evener and vice versa;

it being understood that the evener is of the left-hand typewhen the long bar is toward the right and is aright-hand evener when the long bar is toward the left.

By virtue of the slots 8 being provided in the plates 6 which are fixed to the memher 3, weakening of the said bar is pres vented.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that notwithstanding the practical merit of my novel evener in operation, the construction is simple and inexpensive and is Well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of corresponding type are ordinarily subjected.

Having described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

-1. In a draft evener, the combination of a device to be drawn, a long bar arranged with its inner portion in front of and in substantial parallel relation to said device, a short member, a pivotal connection between the inner portions of the long bar and the short member, a stay connected with the inner end of the long bar and arranged with its rear end bearing against the device to be drawn, a clevis connected at one end to the device to be drawn and at its opposite end to the short member at a point between the point at which the short member is pi votally connected to the long bar and the point where the stay is connected to the inner end of the longbar, and confining means on the device to be drawn, arranged at the opposite side of the stay, with reference to the clevis.

2. In a draft evener, a clevis head, a clevis connected therewith, confining means on the head and spaced from the clevis, a long bar, a stay pivotally connected to the inner end of the long bar and bearing at its rear end against the clevis head at a point between the clevis and the confining-means, and a Gopies of this patent may be obtained for short member pivotally connected at its inner end with the long bar at an intermediate point in the length of the latter and connected to the clevis at a point between the connection of the stay to the long bar and the connection of the short member to said bar.

3. In a draft evener, a clevis head, a clevis connected therewith, confining means on the head and spaced from the clevis, a long bar, a stay pivotally connected to the inner end of the long bar and bearing at its rear end against the clevis head at a point between the clevis and the confining means, a short member pivotally connected at its inner end with the long bar at an intermediate point in the length of the latter and having a slot at a point between the connection of the stay' to the long bar and the connection of the short member to said bar, and a bolt movable 7 in said slot and connecting the clevis with the short member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN M. SMILEY.

Witnesses:

L. Bonn Wu 1 rr 1*, RAY DEAHL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

